Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Mild Prelude To Temperature Slide

A slow moving frontal boundary is currently across Western Pennsylvania, with warmth out on the eastern front this morning as temperatures are in the 50's to near 60 degrees across the Delaware Valley this morning. Intermittent showers are moving through the northern and western parts of the Delaware Valley early on today. Those showers should cross through the area over the next couple of hours, with more showers and a steadier round of rain on tap later on this afternoon as a disturbance over the Ohio Valley nudges east-northeast and helps drag that cold front closer to the region. Rainfall amounts today will generally be on the lighter side overall -- generally tenths to a quarter inch or so on average -- some will see less or more based on location but the norm is to deal with nuisance precipitation. It also will not rain at all times today but some drizzle can't be ruled out in between rounds of showers.

Temperatures will stay mild through today -- generally lower 60's north to mid 60's in Philly and points south. While sunshine may be an absolute premium for the majority of the region, a few breaks in the clouds can't be ruled out at times across Delaware and South Jersey during the day and a few temperatures could make a run into the upper 60's down there. The mild weather holds through much of the evening before the front pushes through Philadelphia after midnight tonight. Once the front crosses, temperatures will begin to cool off and set the stage for the last wave of energy on this frontal train -- the one that could bring snow to parts of the region on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. More on that later on this morning.